


Leverage

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Violence, ra's is a terrible grandfather
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-21 17:45:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8254778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: After kidnapping Dick and Damian to lure Batman to him, Ra's al Ghul decides to show Damian why he's on the wrong path.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegalacticpope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegalacticpope/gifts).



> This is a gift for my dear friend TheGalacticPope.

“Grayson!” The name tore from Damian’s throat, aprimal, panicked noise as he yanked at his restraints bruising his wrists in the process. He didn’t care that it made him look weak, or about the pain flaring under the cuffs. All he cared about was his brother. The one who lay broken and bleeding only a few feet away from him. He pulled again and the metal cut into his skin eliciting a hiss of pain and irritation.

Why? He was so close; why couldn’t he get free? The pole behind him was old, rusted, it should have broken by now, loosened at least. And yet still it held. He pulled again, what would he do if he could get free? His hands were bound behind him, and they were still trapped guarded by too many of his Grandfather’s men to deal with. Damian wouldn’t be able to grab his brother and pull him to safety, let alone protect him from further harm. He couldn’t do anything.

Helpless. Useless. Worthless.

Grandfather’s words rung in his head, all things he’d been trained not to be. All the things his family had made him into. All the things Grayson had supposedly taught him. He was starting to believe it. He couldn’t do anything cuffed here, restrained by his own brother.  _It’s for your own good, Little D._  That’s what Grayson had said as he’d held him back, snapping the bonds around Damian’s wrists, so he couldn’t interfere. False confidence on his face as Damian had screamed, begged him not to take on Grandfather’s challenge alone, to let Damian help.

He couldn’t tell what state his brother was in as he lay on his stomach face turned away from Damian. He pulled again and felt something give behind him as the cuffs cut that much deeper. It would be ok. He would figure out a way. Without his uniform, without his utility belt, without Grayson’s assistance. He just had to get free first.

A shadow passed over his vision, replaced by the dark boots his Grandfather favored. He tore his gaze from his brother, now blocked by long legs, and glared up into the face of Ra’s al Ghul. Grandfather regarded him with a bored expression before turning on his heel and walking towards Dick. Damian pulled again, worry bubbling up in his chest at what the man might do as the pole shifted. Just a little more and he could at least move.

Ra’s kicked Dick, flipping him onto his back and Damian held back a cry. Weakness now would only put Grayson in further danger. Even so, he had to physically bite his tongue when his grandfather reached down and dragged Grayson to his knees by his hair.

Dick grit his teeth against the pain and shifted his gaze to Damian, managing a small smile that was supposed to say he was fine, that he’d had worse. Damian understood, but refused to accept it. Not when the lips that were smiling were also cracked, split open, and the eyes that should have been bright were swollen, already starting to bruise.

“See, Damian. This is what love grants you,” Ra’s said, “He could have easily chosen his own safety over yours. Had he neither of you would have been harmed this evening.”

“Liar,” Damian spat, “You wanted to prove a point. Prove that your ways were better than Father’s.”

His grandfather shook his head. “That was not the reason for this evening. I’ve told you, I wished to speak with the Detective. As he is refusing to meet I had to opt for a more reliable method of seeing him.”

The words were meant to sting Damian’s pride, and for a moment he let them. Then he remembered how quickly Ra’s had been to change his mind, to put his grandson and his older brother to the test.

“If that were the only point you would have only taken one of us this evening.” He countered.

“One can never be too careful with you heroes. The Detective has trained you too well. On your own you’re too slippery, I needed leverage between you.”

Damian knew his grandfather was speaking the truth, even so, he also knew how the Al Ghuls felt about his leaving them. No matter what the initial circumstances of their meetings it was always only a matter of time before his mother or grandfather tried to pull him back under their sway.

“Let’s say I believe you,” Damian said leaning forward, letting his weight put pressure on the pipe, slowly pulling it from its now tentative place in the wall behind him, “You’ve proven your point and contacted my Father. It’s only a matter of time before you get your wish. There’s no need to harm Grayson further.”

“You’re right,” Ra’s said and released Dick. His brother fell back onto the ground with a grunt. Damian released a held breath, and leaned back letting the pressure off the pipe. Finally, something was going for them.

Ra’s motioned for one of his men, “However, you are only right about one thing. The Detective will be arriving soon, and I don’t intend to let this teaching moment pass.” He turned to Damian and frowned, “You’ve grown weak and sentimental. It’s time you learned exactly what fate awaits you if you stay on the path you’ve chosen.”

“No,” Damian’s protest come too late as his grandfather’s henchman kicked out at Grayson.

The crack of his brother’s ribs made Damian want to scream. This was his fault. He’d suggested the midafternoon ice cream run, despite having plenty of flavors at the manor. The experience is better this way, he’d argued. And Grayson had listened, he always listened. Until it put Damian’s safety at risk.

He pulled against his restraints and tore skin. Raw wrists didn’t matter when his brother was fighting for his life. He jerked forward again and at last the pole gave way, snapping off the wall. Damian slipped the cuffs off the loose end and bolted to Grayson, the only thought in his mind to stop his brother being hurt any more.

He pushed past his grandfather and threw himself over his prone brother just as another kick was aimed towards him. Damian took it with a grunt and held his ground. There was a beat, confusion on the part of Grandfather’s man. Then when no stop was called the man reached down to pull Damian away from Dick.

He fought back as best as he could with his hands behind his back. Jerking wildly to break the man’s grip. Wearing himself out further than he had when Grandfather’s men had come for them. It worked for a moment. Then he found himself being lifted bodily into the air.

“No!” he screamed, the only word he could come up with. He couldn’t lose now. He had to protect Grayson. Had to keep his brother safe. He refused to let the family he’d left take the family he loved from him. He refused.

“Enough.” At Ra’s’ command everyone froze.

Damian, still suspended in the man’s arms glared at his grandfather as the man approached, “If my grandson wishes to take Grayson’s beating for his own, so be it. It will better teach the lesson,” he said then waved at Dick, “Move him.”

“Dami, no. Ra’s, you can’t do this. You said he wouldn’t get hurt!” Now Dick was struggling to stay as two more of Ra’s’ men arrived to pull him to the side.

“My grandson has more than proven that no one makes his decisions for him,” Ra’s said in answer.

The moment Dick was out of the way Damian was dropped back on the ground. His head bounced painfully, but he didn’t have time to process it. Before he could ready himself the attack came. Pain bloomed in what seemed like every direction at once. Somewhere, from far away he could hear Grayson’s shouts. Was this what his brother had heard when their positions had been switched?

It didn’t matter. For the moment Grayson was safe. Something crashed against the back of his head and Damian’s vision swam with stars. Bright beautiful sparks of light. He wanted to reach out and touch them. Then he was curling in on himself as a boot connected with his stomach. On and on it went until at last there was a break.

Damian breathed, grateful for the respite. He waited for the next blow but it never came. Instead there was a grunt of pain and the swish of a cape. Father. He cracked one eye open then the other only to see Grayson’s shoes rushing him.

Then he was by Damian’s side, helping him into a sitting position. One hand freeing Damian’s wrists. The other holding him in place. When he’d tossed the cuffs to the side he pulled Damian to him, in a close desperate hug, “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

Damian returned the hug, “Only if you promise the same,” he said.

The hug tightened, “Can’t. I couldn’t risk losing you.” 

He looked up into his brother’s bruised face, “Me either.”

Dick let out a bitter laugh, “Ra’s was right.”

At his words Damian stiffened. His mind went back to Grandfather calling him helpless, useless, weak- unwanted. Then Dick’s hand was running through his hair and Damian wasn’t so worried.

“He really did need to leverage us against each other.”

Damian nodded into his chest, “We would have demolished him otherwise.”

Grayson’s chuckle shook Damian’s head, “Totally. Thankfully B’s here to do it for us.”

Damian turned himself around in Dick’s embrace to see Grandfather’s men scattered unconscious through the room, and Batman, hoisting Ra’s by his collar, a fierce scowl on his face.

Damian smiled, “Indeed.”


End file.
